When I logged on, I got a stream of level-up notifications that didn't stop until I hit level 42. One of the teams must have found and run a dungeon, or defeated a field boss of some kind. Either way, it's a great boon for me.
The chat log said Martimer's team had found a goblin dungeon hidden deeper in the forest.
The one good thing about this forest is that even a year after the game opened, it's still mostly unexplored, so my golems can gain experience faster here. The dungeon had a wide range of levels, just like the forest. From what I could tell from the log, a few of my golems got very close to being recalled, and only my priest golems saved them. I'm thankful I remembered healers when I did.
They couldn't get very far, though, since the difficulty jumps fast. It starts around level 20, then jumps to 40. Where they stopped, they were fighting hobgoblins at level 70+. I'll send Joul's team to grind the 20+ area and work upward, and Martimer's team will do the same from the 40+ area. That'll give Torva a steady supply of equipment to break down and materials to use.
According to Martimer, there are also mines in the dungeon, and a goblin golem production method dropped. With this method, goblins evolve when they reach a certain level and get a boost in power and skills based on what they did before evolving. I used cheaper tin ore to make about six of them.
They all came out normal quality, but that's fine, since I only planned to use them for mining in the dungeon. I sent the goblin squad off after Torva made them some pickaxes. She made two rare pickaxes and raised her stats doing it.
After thinking for a while, I made seven more goblin golems, one of which came out rare, and had them do the same thing, except they'd mine downward and expand the hideout.
Torva's next batch of pickaxes was mostly normal quality. However, she made her first epic-rated item: a pickaxe. As much as I wish it were a weapon, I let the rare goblin golem use it.
[Extraordinary Goblin Pickaxe]
Rating: Epic
Durability: 230/230 Attack Power: 20–25
8% increase in mining speed5% increase in ore quality4% increase in attack powerThe skill 'Beginner Mining Technique' Lv. 2 will be generated
A pickaxe crafted by a blacksmith who has seen the path to become a legend. Even though it would only be used by goblins, she kept her unyielding determination and produced something normally impossible with the materials provided. With this pickaxe, any goblin can learn to mine with ease.
User Restriction: Goblins
Weight: 30
I was amazed by the pickaxe's details and wished I could use it myself. Sadly, I couldn't. This wasn't the time to mourn that, though. It was time to congratulate Torva for making an epic item.
I asked her if there was anything she wanted. She said she wanted to try food and get a head pat.
Food I understood. I chalked it up to curiosity. But why a head pat? Oh well. I complied, patted her head, and handed her some potatoes to try. She smiled and ate while I patted her head. I didn't stop until she told me to, and even then she seemed reluctant to get up from her current spot, which happened to be my lap.
She had to get back to crafting eventually, so she stood up. But first she asked for one more head pat. That, apparently, left her 'recharged', and she dutifully got back to work.
Little did I know about the ripples spreading through the private golem chat I hadn't known they could set up.
After working for a while, I noticed Euphemina had been hired by the Mero Company for the blacksmith competition against Khan's disciple. According to Torva, that disciple was Grid.
She's going to lose. No doubt about it. How could she win, when she's a mage and not a blacksmith? She must have some card up her sleeve, and I kind of want to see it. I'll keep a close eye on her through a cameagle and watch her side of the competition, while Torva watches Grid.
I'd noticed how many materials grinding out golems was eating up. I just needed one more growth-type golem for something 'special' to happen to my class, and I hadn't made a single one in the run-up to the competition.
The good news was that I'd made enough golems for another team. There just wasn't a growth golem to lead them, so all I could do was hope one would break through as they leveled. I sent them to wait near Torva to be geared up, and I started seriously thinking about making normal blacksmith golems to keep up with the gear demand.
Sure, Torva could probably handle about two more teams on top of her current load. But what about after that?
I've seen guilds with thousands of players, and I barely have 40 golems. I'm sure I'll make a ton later. Whether or not they turn out unique in any way, they can still grind and gather loot. Because of that, I didn't make the golem population entirely female, and mixed some male golems into the parties too.
Of course, all the goblin golems are visibly male. I wouldn't be able to tell if they were female anyway, even though I made them. Unless I specifically sculpted certain parts that way, which, again, wouldn't matter.
The good news about my goblin miners is that they'd made good progress expanding the hideout and digging out a second floor. It just needed furnishing. The ones sent to the dungeons had also been regularly clearing out the mines on the 40+ floors and below.
What bothered me about not making any growth golems was that my last batch had included two rare golems and one epic, and none of them got the growth attribute. I guess getting the first four was pure luck. Even when I was making Torva, Martimer and Joul, which were nearly guaranteed, there was still a chance of getting normal golems or failing outright.
Shade, though, was 100% luck. It seems my luck ran out and won't be back for a while. Still, I should be happy, since my stats rise with every rare and epic golem I make.
Before the competition started, I decided to get production methods for a beginner or intermediate blacksmith, an alchemist, a tailor, and as many more production classes as I could. The sooner I have them, the easier things will be later.
I doubt I'll find a painter or sculptor, since players with those classes are few and far between. I sent out a few cameagles to search for players or NPCs with low-level production classes.
After sending them out, it was almost time for the competition, so I went in person with Torva. The elite golem team, aka Martimer's team, followed behind us for protection. We all wore gray cloaks, black skeletal masks, and armor Torva designed with the same skull as the masks.
The idea was to disguise ourselves as NPCs. Unless someone used a very high-level appraisal on me or my golems, all they'd see was a name and a level. My golems are treated like NPCs anyway, since they aren't classified as pets, summons or monsters. It's weird, but it might just be how the system categorizes them, since they're somewhere on the border between NPCs and summons.
Whatever. It's too long to explain, and even I don't fully understand it.
When we arrived, a large crowd surrounded three people: the announcer, Rabbit, and the two competitors, Grid and Euphemina. Beside them stood ordinary blacksmith forges. The crowd started cheering for Euphemina, or rather 'Erina', as she introduced herself.
"Thank you for your support!"
She smiled and waved, mostly at the male part of the crowd cheering for her. They were mostly players who, sadly, had no interesting classes I didn't already have. A berserker wouldn't be half bad, but I still hadn't found one.
Then Grid tried to mimic Erina, and I facepalmed at his stupidity. Lo and behold, the disdain came pouring in.
"What is that guy doing? Ugh, I feel bad. Not for him, for myself, for having to look at him."
"The bread I ate a while ago feels like it's coming back up my throat..."
"He looks terrible, and he's still wearing that newbie clothing."
I kind of felt bad for him. But he should keep in mind that, even if he works in them, he's wearing the basic clothes players get when they have no equipment on.
Against my expectations, though, the NPCs started cheering for him. Good on him. He must have built up some reputation with them. Sadly, the male NPCs still had perverted looks in their eyes when they looked at Euphemina.
Then I sighed at what happened next. Grid talked down to Euphemina and called her a kid. He really shouldn't say that to a woman so bluntly, and it was clearly because she didn't meet his 'standards'. Don't get me wrong, I have standards too, but I wouldn't be rude about it.
To be fair, the way I talk to people other than my golems and Agnus could come across that way, since I either stay silent or play the evil villain. I'd still never stoop low enough to make fun of someone's body.
I stand corrected. Euphemina fired back by straight-up calling him gay. That's a big leap. Does she seriously think that just because one guy isn't into her, he has to be gay? How big is that ego? I kind of want to deflate it, but she's probably far higher level than me or my golems. Oh well. I really shouldn't judge other people's personalities when mine isn't that great either.
Not long after, the host finally spoke up.
"The two contestants have begun the game! I will inform the crowd! This time, the theme is a dagger. Whoever produces the better-quality dagger within the time limit will be the victor!"
The moment Grid started swinging his hammer, I swear I could feel the intensity of Torva's stare. She was writing in a notebook. I didn't even know she had a notebook, or when she got one.
Euphemina seemed to be having trouble. She took out a hammer but couldn't equip it, and kept staring at Grid in bewilderment.
Don't tell me she's trying to copy his skill? No, let's not jump to conclusions. Only my golems should be able to mimic a legendary class's skills, or have a better ability to use them, so an ordinary player shouldn't be able to.
What shocked me was that she called on Khan to help Grid, when Grid clearly didn't need help. When Khan got up and started working, she stared at him and then copied his skill exactly.
She has to be some kind of skill copier or duplicator! I need to make a golem from her class. I can think of a ton of skills that would be useful to duplicate. And since her class should be one of the epic classes, judging by how she reacted to not being able to copy Grid, by the time I can get a production method from her, I estimate I could make at least two golems of that kind, and three at most.
What surprised me was a comment Torva made, looking over at Euphemina.
"This girl is disappointing. She has zero chance of winning. She doesn't even have a blacksmith's fire, yet she's willing to be dirty enough to copy the hard-earned skills of others to cheat her way to a win. I know Grid will win. But from what I can tell watching the Mero Company here, they'll find some way to cheat out a victory for themselves.
"I don't feel sorry for Grid, though. He is still immature, like me, but he was handed a golden goose without the resources to use it. I, on the other hand, have the Praetor and everyone else providing everything I need to grow without stopping."
It threw me off that she was talking about someone other than me and the other golems. What she said next threw me off even more.
"However, just from watching Grid, even for this short while, I feel as if he will somehow get through this. I don't know how, but nobody becomes Legendary by accident. That's why, even though I start near the bottom and he starts near the top, I will not be inferior to him in any way!"
I looked at her, and somehow there was a bright golden glint shining through her mask. I figured I was seeing things and let it go for now.
Just as the competition was reaching its climax, right when they were about to examine Grid's dagger, some soldiers came and falsely accused Grid of being associated with Huroi, whom they'd probably also locked up on false charges. I guess Torva was right about them cheating their way to victory.
Grid won, though. I appraised the dagger from a distance and was astounded by its stats.
[Ideal Dagger]
Rating: Unique
Durability: 168/168 Attack Power: 378–413 Attack Speed: +13%
There is a rare chance of instantly killing the target.Agility +30The skill 'Wind Blast' is generated.The skill 'Quick Movements' is generated.